Toothpick distributor



Patented Dec."'1 8, 1928.

.- JOSEPHIWANICKI, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN.-

roo'i'nrrcxfnisrnrnurony npplicatiouflled August 11,1927. Serial No. 212,1 7.

This invention relates to improvements in tooth-pick distributors.

At the present time ttoothpicks are fre-r quently placed in open receptacles with the result that they are exposed to the dust and dirt. Moreover they are often so placed that in order to pick up one toothpick a persons fingers come in contact .with, several o other toothpicks he'has no intention of taking. It is an object of this invention to provide a toothpick distributor from which toothpicks are distributed one at a time so that those remaining therein are protected from dust, dirt and handling, V V I Another object of the invention is to pro vide a toothpickdistributor which can be cheaply manufactured, which issimpleto operate, and which, automatically raises a toothpick into an inclined positionvs'o that it may bereadily taken after the toothpick has been brought into discharging position by operatinga handle. g c

With these and other objects in view which will be pointed out. as the specification proceeds, the invention is'hereinafterm'ore fully drawings, in which'' s a Figure 1 illustrates a sectional elevation of the inventi0n.' f V v Figure 2 is a section on the line 2+2 of .Figur'el. I I

Figure 3. is a section on the 1ine3-3 of Figure2. V I Figure lis section on the line fof fFigure3,and' v r I Figure 5 shows an enlargeddetail. Referring to'the drawings, 1 designates a casing havinga container 2 in the upper part thereofwhich is usually'enclosed bya cover described with the aid of. the accompanying hinged at 4:. The undersi'de 5 of the container is downwardly inclined from both on this shaft are a plurality of discs 9 having opposed peripheral notches 10. These discs and this shaft-are so positioned that as turn passes in propinquity to the underside with an upwardly flexed tends between the discs '9'.

3; in the present instance the latter'isshown ing 13, supported in the sides of the casing 1. Fixed thereof isa bracket 28 having a link 29 of the slot-6, and the upper front portions of the said disc's rotate'in proximity to a portion 11 ofthecasingwhich ispositioned that. once a toothpickhasdropped into a set of notches it cannot become disengaged from them while passing the said ,casing portion,

f Revolvably supported in the casingis a second shaft 20 substantially parallelwith and below the first named shaft 8. This sec 0nd shaft also hasdiscs 21 fixed thereon which portions of the discs 21. 7

'55 have opposed peripheral t h 22 therein The discs 21' are preferably placed 'substa A forwardly extendingportion 12 of the casing has a transverse discharge opening13 therethrou'gh, and within the casing and 1 along the front marginofthesaid opening is a depending 'rest 15 which terminates in proximity to the periphery of the dis cs21;v

and along the rear margin of the said opening 13 is a guide'mernber 16 which extends downwardly almost to the peripheries of the :discs 21,has a rearwardly curved portion 17 which is flexed over portion of the'periphcries of the said discs, and terminatesin'an upwardly curved portion 18 which conforms tothe curvature of a portion of the discs 9 and is spaced ashort distance from, their peripheries. On the rear wall ofthe casing 1 a member 19 is secured which is provided, guide 19 thatex vWhen the discs 9 'and 21 are turned, by means hereinafter setforth, the toothpicks 7 drop one at atim-e-into the notches '10 as the latter pass the slot 6, fromthe said notches .-10 between the upwardly curved 'portion 18 and the, guide 19 ontothe discs2l and then into the notches 22. The rearwardly curved portion17 of the guide member 16 prevents toothpicks from ridingonthediscs 21 unless V in position in the notches 22, and once the v toothpicks are in engagement in the latter)- notches they cannot become disengaged therefrom untilthey arrive under the open- On one end of the shafts8 and 20 sprocket wheels 24 and 25 are secured, which latter secured.

otally mounted thereon, and to the outer end ofthe latter a do 30, adapted to engage the teeth of the ratdiiet wheel 27, is pivotally An operating rod 32 extends through an opening 32in the top of the casing 1, is pivot-ally connected intermediatel of its length to the link 29 as by a pin 3g and at its lower end this rod has a slotted opening 34 therethrough. Portions 38 and 38 of the casing support a spindle 35 which has a forwardly flexed portion 36 the extremity of which is inturned to take into the slotted opening 34 in the lower end of the operating rod 32. Fixed on the spindle 35 is an arm 39 which has a slotted hole 40 through its outer end. Slidably mounted in clips 41 secured to one side of the casing is a vertical slide 42 the lower end of which is pivotally fastened to the arm 39 as by a bolt 43 which passes through the slide and also throughthe said slotted hole 40. On the upper end of the slide is a holding member 44 which has a vertically inclined face adjacent to one of the discs 21.

The link 29 is'nor'mally held in the position shown in Figureil by a spring 45, and the upper end of the operating rod 32 is threaded at 46 for a stop 47 so that by adjusting the latter the, distance between the stop and the top of the casing, when the o erating rod is in normal (up) position, ma e regulated. In this way the travel of t e operating rod may be set after the machine is made so that each downstroke will advance the discs the desired amount to bring the notches 10 and 22 under the slot 6 and discharge opening respectively.

e operation of the distributor is briefly as follows:

'When the operating rod 32 is depressed the dog 30 turns the ratchet wheel 27, and the shafts 20 and 8, the latter through the sprocket and chain drive 24, 25 and 26. This causes the discs 9 and 21 to turn. Each time a set of notches 10 pass under the slot 6 they carry a toothpick around and drop it between the plate 18 and the guide 19 onto the periphery of the discs 21 where it falls into the next set of notches 22 and is carried under the discharge opening 13. Moreover on each down stroke of the rod 32 another. set of notches 22 are brought into position under the said opening 13. Each time the spring 45 returns the rod 32 from down to normal (up) osition the slide 42 is moved down so that its upper portion strikes one end of the tooth pick under the opening 13 and raises it artly through the opening into the incline position shown in Figure 3 so that it may be readily taken hold of.

While in the foregoing the preferred embodimentofthe invention has been described and shown, it is understood that the construction is subject .tosuch modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a toothpick distributor, the combination of a casing, a containerin said casing, said casing havinga discharge opening therethrough, means for conveying V toothpicks fromsaid container to the underside of said opening, a slide having an inclined face at its upper end, an operating rod for actuating said conveying means, a spring for returning said operating rod to normal position, and means connected to said operating rod adapted to move said slide downwards so that its inclined face presses down on one end of a toothpick under said discharge opening and moves the latter into aninclined positionprojecting partly through said opening as said rod is returned to normal position.

2. Ina toothpick distributor, the combina tion of a casing having a discharge opening therein, a container having a slot in its underside, shafts revolvably mounted in said casing, discs on said shafts, said discs having opposed peripheral notches therein, the discs on one s aft being adapted. to rotate under said slot so that toothpicks dropped through said slot fall into one set of sai peri heral notches,means for reventing said toot picks passing out of sai slot except when in engagement with one set of pen heral'notches, means adapted to guide sai toothpicks as the drop from the notches in the discs'under sai slot as the latter discs turn, said latter means causing said toothpicks to engage one set of notches in said other discs, said other discs being adapted to deliver said toothpicks under said discharge opening a movable operating rod, means connected to said operating rod for rotatingsaid discs, means for returning said operatm rod to normal position, and means adapted to raise a portion of a toothpick delivered under said discharge opening into an inclined position'extending partly through said opening as said operating rod is returned to normal position.

3. In a toothpick'distributor, the combination of a casing having a discharge opening therein, a container a apted to hold toothpicks insaid casing having a slot in its underside,shafts revoivably mounted in said casing, discs on each of said shafts having opposed peripheral notches therein, the discs on one shaft being adapted to rotate under said container slot adjacent to the underside of the container so that a toothpick may 'fall into and across each set of notches as said discs turn, means for preventing toothpicks from becoming disengaged from said notches until said discs have turned a predetermined distance, means adapted to guide each tooth ick as it falls from said notches so that it rops onto the other discs on the other shaft and is enga ed by notches in said other discs, said other scs bein adapted to deliver said toothpioks under sai discharge opening, an

operating rod, by Which said shafts are turned,

and means connected to said operating rod for delivering a toothpick through saiddischargeopening. s e

4;. In atoothpick distributor, the combination of a casing having a discharge opening therein, a container in said casing adapted to hold toothpicks and having a slot in its under side, discs revolvably mounted undersaid container, means on the periphery of said discs for receiving said toothpicks one ata time ironi said slot, other discs onto Which said toothpicks are adapted to fall from said first named discs, said other discs being adapted to deliver said toothpicks under said discharge opening, means for turning said discs,and means for raising said toothpicksi icks in said casin havin a slot in its under-o side, discs revolvably mounted in said casing,' means on said discs for delivering one toothand a slide adjacent to one of said discs adapted to bear against a toothpick in prox- 25 4 pick at a time under said discharge opening,

iinity to one of its ends and raise the opposite end of the toothpick through said discharge opening utilizing said adjacent disc as a fulcrum, means for moving said discs, and{ means for moving said slide.

JOSEPH -IWANICKI. 

